St. Louis Cardinals: Exploring Right-Handed DH Options

Juan Yepez

First up is 25-year-old slugger Juan Yepez. Undoubtedly the most iconic moment of Yepez’s young career was the towering 2-run Home Run against José Alvarado in Game 1 of the 2022 Wild Card Series.

Overall, Yepez had a productive rookie season. In 253 at-bats, he slashed .253/.296/.447 with 12 Home Runs and 30 RBIs. This equated to a 111 OPS+ (11% above league average) and 0.4 WAR (Wins Above Replacement).

Assuming Yepez would mostly be used as a DH option against left-handed starting pitching, his lefty versus righty splits from the 2022 season must be analyzed. Yepez logged 198 at-bats against right-handed pitching compared to 55 against left-handed pitching. His batting average and on-base percentage splits are nearly identical to his season totals. However, his slugging against right-handed pitching (.460) was noticeably higher than it was against left-handed pitching (.400).

This difference could be chalked up to relatively a small sample size against lefties. It could also create an argument for Yepez to be utilized as more than an LHP specialist. I am intrigued to see how Yepez’s role develops in the 2023 season. With 400+ at-bats, I think that Yepez could establish himself as a reliable hitter that can sit at the bottom of a lineup and drive in runs.

Moises Gomez

No one in Minor League Baseball hit as many home runs as Moisés Gómez in 2022. While he recently was optioned back to AAA Memphis, his upside warrants consideration for designated hitter at-bats at some point in the 2023 season.

In 442 at-bats in 2022 across Springfield (AA) and Memphis (AAA), Gómez slashed .294/.371/.624 with 39 HRs and 94 RBIs. On top of this, Gómez slugged better against left-handed pitching (.648) than he did against right-handed pitching (.617).

Of course, there are concerns about plate discipline and defensive fit for Gómez. The aggressive plate approach that produced those 39 home runs also produced 174 strikeouts. An adjustment to Major League pitching would almost certainly warrant at least some shift in approach to bring those strike-out numbers down.

Gómez's role on the 2023 Cardinals feels more determinant on the health and production of players that already call St. Louis home. Despite this, it would be fun to see Gómez build off the 2022 power surge and enjoy some Big Mac Land home runs in 2023.

Jordan Walker

Hear me out on the third option. Jordan Walker began Spring Training by ripping the cover off the baseball. In recent weeks, he has cooled off, but could still very likely be starting in St. Louis on Opening Day in a corner outfield spot. The ceiling of Jordan Walker cannot be easily overstated and there are many who believe when he makes it to St. Louis, he is here to stay.

In a situation where incumbent outfielders Lars Nootbaar, Tyler O’Neill, and Dylan Carlson start the season healthy and productive, there should still be a route to get Jordan Walker at-bats in St. Louis. It seems unlikely that Walker will be with the Major League club just to sit on the bench and be a fill-in outfielder when someone needs a day off. However, one way to ease him into the Major Leagues could be to fill that bench outfield role supplemented with some at-bats as designated hitter.

Walker’s 2022 splits show that he could be effective against lefties or righties. In 355 at-bats against right-handed pitching (at Springfield AA) Walker slashed .313/.394/.518 adding 15 HRs and 47 RBIs. Conversely, in 106 at-bats against left-handed pitching he slashed .283/.370/.481 with 4 HRs and 21 RBIs. Also, all three of his home runs in Spring Training this year came against righties.

If Walker sees considerable at-bats as a designated hitter in 2023 that will likely mean that Nootbaar, O’Neill, and Carlson are all healthy and playing well (which would be a great thing). My feeling is that Cardinals management wants to give Walker the full opportunity to earn a starting outfield spot as opposed to handing him the designated hitter reins.

The Cardinals have a plethora of options for the designated hitter spot this year. Injuries tend to throw a wrench in squeaky-clean pre-season predictions, but right now it looks like a crowded competition for DH at-bats. I predict that Yepez will start the season getting most of the at-bats against lefties and the position will be re-evaluated frequently.